Abu Dhabi, UAE: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced on Thursday that its first shipment of low-carbon ammonia has left the UAE bound for Hamburg, Germany. This is the first ever cargo of low-carbon ammonia to be shipped to Germany.
The demonstration cargo will be delivered to Aurubis, a leading global provider of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers worldwide, that has its headquarters in Hamburg. On arrival in Germany, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), one of Europe’s leading logistics companies will handle the cargo, the company said in a statement.
Produced by Fertiglobe, a partnership between ADNOC and OCI, at its Fertil plant in Abu Dhabi’s Ruwais industrial complex, the demonstration cargo is the first of several test cargoes sold to customers in Germany as ADNOC expands its strategic energy partnership across the hydrogen value chain.
The cargo follows a number of similar low-carbon ammonia sales that have been made to customers in Asia. Aurubis plans to utilise the low-carbon ammonia as a feedstock in its wire rod plant, testing its application as an additional, lower-carbon energy source for industrial utilisation.
The hydrogen it contains has the potential to be a low-carbon energy alternative for the energy-intensive processes in multi-metal production, the statement said.
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said, “This demonstration cargo of low-carbon ammonia builds upon the longstanding bilateral relationship between the UAE and Germany and our growing partnership in clean energy. It highlights ADNOC’s expanding role as a trusted exporter of low-carbon fuels, as the UAE focuses on the industrial growth opportunities within the energy transition.”
Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis, said, “As the most efficient and sustainable smelter network in the world, Aurubis provides metals that are key for megatrends such as renewable energies, electric mobility and digitalisation and hence for decarbonisation. To guarantee stable processes at our sites, we are expanding our portfolio of reliable energy sources and thus investing in the decarbonisation of our production at the same time. This first trial shipment of low-carbon ammonia from ADNOC represents an important milestone in our long-term vision for hydrogen solutions that will help meet our decarbonisation goals.”